Bull-wheel



P. YORKE.

BULL WHEEL.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT-27,1919.

1,341,096. Pflwllted y 25, 1920.

PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK YORKE, OF WASHINGTON, PENNSYLVANIA.

BULL-WHEEL.

Application filed September 27, 1919.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK YORKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wash ington, in the county of Washington and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bull- Wheels, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention comprehends certain new and useful improvements in drilling rigs for wells, and it has for its primary object a simple, durable and efficient steel bull wheel, the parts of which can be easily constructed out of standard material and at a minimum expense, the construction and arrangement of the parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, producing a very light and strong device which will last practically for an indefinite time, and without the necessity of frequent attention or repair.

The invention has for a further object an improved device of this kind wherein the main supporting shaft comprises a tubular.

steel body and improved metal gudgeons driven into the ends of said body which are shrunk around the gudgeons and secured in place by rivets whereby a very strong and light construction is produced.

The invention has for a still further ob ject novel and efiicient means whereby the rope will be prevented from easily chafing or cutting by contact against the spokes of the pulley wheel and brake wheel.

The invention also aims to produce an improved bull wheel having a novel and efficient construction and arrangement of spool arms, the parts whereof can be easily attached to the main tubular shaft or body of the structure and in a very simple and quick manner, and which will be strong and not liable to become broken by the rope or cable being caught or entangled therewith, while at the same time if one of the spool arms should happen to be broken off, the construction and arrangement of said arms will permit of a ready and rapid replacement.

And the invention also aims to generally improve structures of this kind so as to render them more useful and commercially desirable.

With these and other objects in view, as will more fully appear as the description proceeds, the invention consists in certain constructions, arrangements and combina- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 25, 1920.

Serial No. 326,953.

tions of the parts as I shall hereinafter fully describe and claim.

For a full understanding of the invention reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of a steel bull wheel constructed in accordance with my invention, a part of the tubular wheel shaft being broken away and the pulley wheel and brake wheel being thereby shown closer together than they would be in actual practice;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary end view showing one of the gudgeons hereinafter specifically described Fig. 3 is a detail transverse section taken substantially on the line 3--3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 4:& of Fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a detail section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective View of one of the I-beams that comprise the spokes for the pulley wheel and brake wheel.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and designated in all of the views of the accompanying drawing by like reference characters.

Referring to the drawing, the numeral 1 designates the tubular steel shaft of my improved bull wheel, and 2 designates the gudgeons as a whole. Each of the gudgeons comprises a journal end 3 projecting centrally from a spider-like casting 4, any suit table number of spokes connecting the circular rim of said casting with the central hub portion thereof. The gudgeon 2, as best illustrated in Fig. 1, in practice, is driven into the end of the tubular steel shaft 1 until an annular flange 5 formed on the gudgeon abuts against the extremity of the shaft. The shaft is then shrunk upon the gudgeon and also secured thereto by means of rivets 6, whereby a very strong and light construction is obtained.

7 designates the pulley wheel and 8 the brake wheel and as both of these are constructed substantially alike, so far as the features of this invention are concerned, a description of one will suffice for both. The pulley wheel 7, as will be best seen by reference to Figs. 1, 4, 5 and 6 includes a suitable number of radially disposed spokes 9,

are riveted together bolts 19 that rounded or conical plugs 21 that into said outer ends and preferably secured each of which is composed of an I-beam, and said I-beams are secured at their inner ends to the tubular steel shaft 1. by means of angle plates 10. These angle plates 10 are arranged in pairs with their inner ends riveted as at 11 to the shaft 1, and they receive between them the webs 12 of the I-beam spokes 9, said spokes having flanges cut away at one (the inner) side as at 13, to permit them to he slipped by an endwise movement in between the securing angle plates 10, whereupon the angle plates and the webs 12 so as to secure the parts in place.

In order to prevent the rope or cable being cut or chafed by contact with the inner sides of the spokes, 1 provide a number of preferably tubular guards 14, one for each spoke.

These guards are, in the present embodiment of the invention, composed of sections of p1pe disposed against the inner sides of the respective spokes, and having their inner ends abutting against and conforming in curvature to the shaft 1. The outer ends arepreferably beveled, as indicated at 15, so as to avoid any sharp corners upon which the rope or cable could easily catch. Preferably, these tubular guards are secured to the spokes by means of U-bolts 16 which pass through the webs of the spokes, as best illustrated in Figs. 1 and 5.

The spool arms 17 are also preferably formed of pipe sections, the inner ends of said arms being interiorly threaded so as to screw upon exteriorly threaded nipples 18 and these nipples are preferably held in place and secured to the shaft 1 by means of are screwed into the threaded openings 20 formed in the shaft 1. The outer ends of the arms 17 are closed by are screwed in place by means of rivets 22, the rounded formation of these plugs tending to preclude the possibility of the rope or cable being caught on the outer ends of the arms.

From the foregoing description in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that I have provided a very strong and simple and durable construction of bull wheel, and one which can be very easily constructed and set up.

While the accompanying drawing illustrates what I believe to be the preferred embodiment of my invention it will be under stood that the invention is not limited thereto but that various changes may be made in the construction, arrangement and proportions of the parts without departing from the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A bull wheel including a. shaft, angle plates arranged in pairs and secured to said shaft and projecting outwardly therefrom, and I-beam spokes cut away at one side and adapted to be slipped in between said angle plates and secured thereto, substantially as described.

2. A bull wheel including a shaft and spokes extending outwardly therefrom, tubular guard members disposed against the inner sides of said spokes and U-bolts extending through said guard members and the spokes, for the purpose specified.

3. In a bull wheel, tubular spool arms, a tubular shaft designed to carry said arms, said shaft being formed with threaded openings, exteriorly threaded nipples, bolts passing through said nipples and engaging said threaded openings whereby to secure the nipples to the shaft, the spool arms being interiorly threaded at their inner ends and engaging the threads of said nipples, and plugs carried by said spool arms at the outer ends thereof.

In testimony whereof I hereunto ailix my signature.

PATRICK YOR KE. 

